Podcast apps are dime a dozen today, with Google’s ownYouTube Musicgaining support for the popular audio formatnot too long ago. But when we consider third-party offerings, Pocket Casts almost always makes it tothe top of the list. Things haven’t always been smoothbehind the scenesfor the app, but it’s safe to say that it has stood the test of time. One glaring omission in the service’s repertoire is a dedicated Wear OS app, while it has provided an Apple Watch app for a while now. Fortunately, developers have been working on an app for Google’s smartwatch platform since last year, with a project issue trackerearlier this yeardetailing its progress. The app has now made its way out of development and entered the beta stage, allowing interested customers to take it for a spin.
The beta can be accessed directly from the Google Play Store, with9to5Googlereporting that both Wear OS 3 and preceding versions of the platform support the new application. The Pocket Casts beta should work on relatively newer offerings like theMobvoi TicWatch Pro 5and theGoogle Pixel Watch, in addition to any of the Wear OS-poweredSamsung Galaxy Watchmodels.
As the screenshots above show, the UI is consistent with Wear OS design principles, and the menu gets its own mini-player on top for unfinished episodes. Swiping right from the menu opens the player, and another right swipe takes you to the queue. The Wear OS app functions independently of the Android app, which we learned was the developers' main objective with the Wear OS port. But if you have an Android app and are signed in to your account, Pocket Casts will automatically sign you into the Wear OS version, saving you a step or two during setup.
Podcasts can be played either through yourBluetooth earbudsor speakers but not through the wearable’s speakers. Meanwhile, 9to5 notes that the Wear OS app can’t control playback on the smartphone app, which drives home the point that Pocket Casts for Wear OS is a standalone product.
It’s somewhat baffling thatGoogle Podcastsdoesn’t have an app yet for Wear OS, meaning YouTube Music is the only viable Google-made solution for aWear OS podcasts appright now. If you’re looking for a podcast app for your watch, Pocket Casts fits in nicely, even with the subscription requirement.
